Good Thinking

Tank-track carry-on case rolls with stairs

Tank-track carry-on case rolls with stairs
The user can tip the TraxPack onto its side and pull it up stairs, with built-in tracks allowing it to roll freely
The user can tip the TraxPack onto its side and pull it up stairs, with built-in tracks allowing it to roll freely
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The user can tip the TraxPack onto its side and pull it up stairs, with built-in tracks allowing it to roll freely
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The user can tip the TraxPack onto its side and pull it up stairs, with built-in tracks allowing it to roll freely
A tilting handle makes it possible to pull the bag up stairs on its side and provides improved maneuverability in other situations
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A tilting handle makes it possible to pull the bag up stairs on its side and provides improved maneuverability in other situations
The TraxPack has location-tracking, a built-in scale, an optional proximity sensor add-on, a mobile device charger and TSA-approved locks
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The TraxPack has location-tracking, a built-in scale, an optional proximity sensor add-on, a mobile device charger and TSA-approved locks
There are two tank-like tracks built into the side of the bag's aluminum polycarbonate body
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There are two tank-like tracks built into the side of the bag's aluminum polycarbonate body
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Steps are the nemesis of the wheeled suitcase. There's a certain satisfaction in gliding a case over a smooth airport floor, but, faced with a flight of stairs, a heavily-packed case cam quickly become something of an encumbrance. Not so the TraxPack, which drops onto its side to slide up staircases with relative ease.

As with other recently-released suitcases, such as the Floatti, the Trunkster and the Bluesmart, the TraxPack has a variety of useful features built in, such as location tracking, a charger for mobile devices and an integrated scale. It is its focus on negotiating steps, though, that sets it apart.

Built into one side of the bag's aluminum polycarbonate body are two tank-like tracks. When faced with a set of stairs, the user can tip the TraxPack onto its side and pull it up, with the tracks allowing the bag to roll freely.

Coupled with this feature is a tilting handle. Not only does this make it possible to pull the bag up stairs on its tracks, but it provides improved maneuverability in other situations. TraxPack Luggage explains users are able to leverage the force of their body weight to move the suitcase around more easily than is the case with fixed handles.

There are two tank-like tracks built into the side of the bag's aluminum polycarbonate body
There are two tank-like tracks built into the side of the bag's aluminum polycarbonate body

As mentioned above, the TraxPack has location-tracking, powered by GSM and GPRS technology, and a built-in scale that allows users to check the weight of their luggage against airline requirements. There's also an optional proximity sensor add-on that can alert users when the bag is on its way to baggage claim or if someone has moved it away from the traveler.

Elsewhere, the removable power pack for charging mobile devices can be upgraded to a potential 20,000 mAh, which could provide around eight full smartphone charges, according to TraxPack Luggage. It has two USB ports so that two devices can be charged at once and a built-in LED flash light. The Traxpack also caters for mobile devices by way of a stand that can be used when waiting for flights.

The TraxPack has been designed specifically as a carry-on, with dimensions of 22 x 14 x 9 in (56 x 35 x 22 cm) and tipping the scales at 8 lb (3.6 kg). Locks approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) provide security, while allowing access to the authorities if required.

A Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is underway for the TraxPack. At the time of writing, pledges start from US$198. Assuming all goes to plan with the campaign and roll-out, shipping is expected from March next year.

The video below is the Kickstarter pitch for the TraxPack.

Sources: Traxpack Luggage, Kickstarter


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8 comments
8 comments
GinaSwifte
Seems like a good idea but, at 3.6kg, distinctly heavy.
PlanetPapi
This is retail $515. People who buy this for this for a silly purpose should also buy my sleeping shoes. You see, we have shoes for tennis, running, walking, jogging, boating and driving etc., No one has shoes for sleeping. But my sleeping shoes makes you wake up energetic...you got the idea. Dumb products for dumb people. You paid $515 you better find stair cases to drag this thing ignoring elevators and escalators.
sk8dad
All it takes is a $0.25 piece of gum to foul the tracks of the $500+ suitcase. Imagine the horror of accidentally rolling over something even less appealing, say, in an urban environment where dogs out number children. You'll never get it out. Plus, I doubt that the delicate looking tracks would hold up after a day of dragging up abrasive stonework stairs. Furthermore, it takes less effort to ascend stairs if you can wear your pack on your back instead of dragging it (track or no track) up the stairs. The difference is when you wear it, you distribute the load through your skeleton and only use muscles during the ascension phase of each step, whereas when you drag a load up an incline, you have to fight the sine component of gravity continuously whether you're climbing or not. That's why most cases intended for extended travel beyond the airport have backpack features.
f8lee
Funny, seems to me that someone who could afford a $500+ suitcase would likely have a minion to do the lugging for them anyway...I mean, would this pass the Kardashian test?
ljaques
Pretty cool idea, but I'll bet Mr. Murphy would have something to say about its use in real life. As has been said, gum would instantly foul a set of wheels or tracks, and the weight is an instant issue now that they want your left arm in trade for their carrying your simple baggage on their planes. I'm wondering how the TSA will like the GPS, batteries, and wires inside, too. Cha CHING, I don't foresee too many sales.
Imran Sheikh
Good Idea, Bad Price, instead searching for problem, it actually solves a problem.
Bevin Chu
Instead of a complex track, all that would really be needed is low friction external ribs. Why make things more complicated, not to mention more expensive hence unaffordable? The product designer was not thinking clearly.
agulesin
The tracks appear to be flush with the surface anyway, so they won't be any different from dragging the case up or down stairs anyway. And we have to work out how much of our journey involves stairs - in these days escalators are more common - would this case therefore escape from its owner and disappear to the bottom of said escalator? And the tilting handle would probably allow the case to fall over when it was standing on an uneven surface (not that there are any of those in airports these days!)...